


"I'm not throwing away my shot!"

by ravenadottir



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon Rewrite, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:55:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24376144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenadottir/pseuds/ravenadottir
Summary: This a series of one shots, for several characters.It's honestly just a continuous mess of different things I've been writing/formatting/correcting since I started writing for litg.None of them have more than one chapter, and most are part of prompts people bring to me on tumblr.**Always updating**1 - Noah (Blake's persuasion) what she said to convince him to take her back2 - Noah (A new choice) if Noah had the choice and went for MC, instead of Hope3 - Noah (Pool's dialogue) if we could've chosen the boy we talk to during the Jo-Shannon conflict4 - Lucas (The same) enemies to lovers. they hate each other's guts but realize they need to get together on the final recoupling5 - Ibrahim (Overdue) Pos-villa scenario where Rahim explains to you what made him choose Shannon and Jo6 - MC prompt - if her twin was a casa amor girl - pairings: mc x gary / mc x lucas
Relationships: Blake/Lucas Koh, Blake/Noah (Love Island), Chelsea/Main Character (Love Island), Henrik/Lucas Koh, Hope/Noah (Love Island), Ibrahim/Jo (Love Island), Ibrahim/Main Character (Love Island), Ibrahim/Shannon (Love Island), Lucas Koh/Main Character (Love Island), Noah & Main Character (Love Island)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	1. Noah - Blake's persuasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Blake could've said to Noah, convincing him to take her back?

Blake and Noah are talking by the daybeds. Just the two of them, while the others are competing to see who can stuff more food in one mouthful. Gary is winning, but Bobby is a close second.

Jakub and Siobhan are hanging out by the pool. She’s giggling about something Jakub just barked, tossing her hair with a flourish.

Emily, Shannon, Bobby, Gary and Ibrahim are standing by the kitchen door, grabbing more food to shove down the boys’ mouths.

Noah is feeling retracted after the message they received this afternoon. He had to endure the image of you, and Hope, cracking on with new guys. The smiles on their faces during the challenge, the look on the guy’s face when you were practically nibbling the guy’s ear.

Hope kissing another guy and having so much fun with it.

His heart was broken, feeling so ashamed, in front of everyone. The girls were present when they received the video, and the looks on their faces would tell you everything you need to know.

Blake shifts on her seat, breaking the silence after they start the discussion about what he should do tomorrow night, on the Stick or Switch.

“Noah, let’s be real here. You just coupled up with her… can you say, for sure, she’s not bringing someone back?”

“She said she likes me. I don’t think she would do that…”

“Hm… fair… she likes you. Same way she liked  _ him _ when she kissed you?” Blakes points to your former partner, perching her lips as she does. Noah’s gaze follows her gesture, observing from afar, a little taken aback. His eyes stay on your ex as Blake continues.

“I‘m just saying… if she  _ does like you _ , she’ll understand if you switch, just to stay safe. She might even do the same.” Blake shrugs, casually crossing her legs.

Noah’s face falls. He responds with a deflated tone. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean… Hope  _ just broke up with you… your girl _ might not feel so secure in your couple. You were together for  _ only one night _ , hun… and now, they throw her in a new house, filled with new guys? _ ”  _ Blake rests her chin on her hand, shooting him a sympathetic look, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Just… if you’re thinking about switching to stay safe, what makes you think she wouldn’t do the same?”

Noah stares at his knees, fiddling with his empty mug. “I don’t know… I don’t wanna think about what she’s gonna do… or Hope.”

“It’s a good thing you don’t wanna imagine it. Hope switched right there…” she points to the firepit. “So… maybe it’s a good idea to not think about it. Don’t torture yourself, babes…”

He looks at her with a certain urgency on his eyes. She puts on a warm smile.

“Noah, you’re such a great guy. You could find someone else in here. Someone that  _ understands  _ you. That knows you’re not just playing around. I know you like them… but…” Blake hesitates, cutting herself short.

“Go on…” his gaze stays on hers as he shifts on his seat.

Blake sighs, rubbing her forehead, looking in the distance. After a long moment, she sighs and replies. “When you like someone, you should at least try to understand why they did something… so if you switch to stay safe…”

“If I switch to stay safe, I’m saying I don’t trust them, Blake. And that’s not what I want them to think…”

“But isn’t that what’s going on your head, right now?”

Noah’s eyes go wide, fixated on hers. She continues, draping one arm on his shoulder, amicably.

“You have every right to be upset, babes. After the video you got, I don’t think anyone would be as cool as you are right now! If they’re cracking on with different people…” She looks directly in his eyes “…and grafting on those guys, the least you deserve is to switch…  _ we a _ re not involved. Not really…”

“I… I don’t know…”

Blake rubs his shoulder, leaning in to embrace him.

“I’m just saying. Hope  _ broke up with you _ . Your partner? She cheated on her guy over some operation… and they’re both getting on with new boys. You saw with your own eyes.”

She grips Noah’s shoulders, making him stare into her eyes. “You, Noah, deserve better. _Soooo_ _much better.”_

“What if… what if they  _ don’t _ switch?”

Blake giggles, still getting a hold of him.

“Then you’ll explain to them… they will understand, Noah. I know they will. It’s not like we’re a couple for real. It’s just a friend helping out a friend.”

She embraces him, grazing her hand on his shoulder blades.

_ “ _ I’ll happily explain to them that this is on me.” She pulls away with a solidary smile. “I’m the one telling you this. I’ll be the one explaining it…”

Noah sighs, with uncertainty, and opens his mouth to talk, but Blake immediately continues.

“I’m sure the other girls will understand as well…”

“The other girls?” his face crumples in confusion.

“Yeah… Marisol, Priya… they will be supportive of you. You don’t have to rely only on the guys to have your back, you know. They will, for sure, be there for you.”

Noah tilts his head to the side, raising his brows, eyes lost in thought.

“And the guys already understand, don’t they? I mean… Hope is with  _ Jakub…  _ you really don’t think she’ll be switching to stay safe…? She knows Jakub is not gonna be loyal.”

_ “Right…”  _ realization starts dawning on him as she continues.

“The boys saw how hurt you were when the video came… watching them having so much fun. They won’t let you go without a backup. And I’m sure Marisol and Priya will be there for you as well.”

Noticing Noah’s hesitation, Blake continues. “But none of that matters…”

His gaze falls on her, surprised.

“It’s about what you’re feeling right now, Noah. Deep down, you already know what you want to do. You already know  _ if you trust them or not.  _ Question is _ …” _

She gets up, adjusting her outfit and leaning in, to hug him, speaking closely to his ear.

_ “What are you gonna do about it…?” _

She pulls away, smiling with confidence, winking and turning on her heel. Noah gets up, grazing his hand on her elbow.

“Can I ask you a favor, Blake?”

She smiles, before turning to look at him with warmth in her eyes. “Anything, hun!”

“Will you… explain to them… if it comes down to it?”

Blake’s face twists into a friendly facade, as she pulls him in for a hug, this time a lingering one. She talks close to his face, placing his head on her shoulder as she caresses the back of his hair.

“This is what friends are for, babes.”


	2. Noah - A new choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A question came in my inbox, on tumblr, asking the following:  
> "i’ve been watching love island lately and it seems as though with any triangle between three people at recouplings (especially dumping ones) the triangle is out last to pick like a girl picking which boy stays and vice versa. if it came down to noah picking if hope stays or mc stays who do you think he’d pick? do you think it’s be a point of realization?"  
> I couldn't find a way of responding without actually writing the scene, so here it is.

❝ **recoupling night, after stick or switch** ❞

.

“It's my turn...” Noah jumped on his feet, but just as he stands, he winces in place, facing the decision that would change his entire journey. his brows creased deeply with sadness to them. He knew his turn would be the decisive moment that night. He expected it, but prayed it wouldn’t be down to him.

hope... and _her._ standing in front of him. both looking as gorgeous as they did, on day 1.

“i...” he started his speech, putting his phone in his pocket in an attempt to dread the moment a little longer. He had feelings for both and it was a hard decision.

“i know what i should do...”

their skin would bounce back the flickers of the flames, and as he stared at his shoes, looking for the right words, he averted his gaze. it was too painful.

“both of you are amazing...”

as his deep voice would declare generic words and terms, he raised his head to look beyond the girls, but before he could, her eyes found his.

it was clear.

even though he had feelings towards both, one of them made his heart beat faster. every time.

The possibility of losing her was far more painful.

her gaze from a distance. her jokes. her company. the way she would turn every head to focus on her, on a group discussion. the manner she would captivate every pair of ears while explaining weird, but wonderful facts.

the way she would stay in silence, next to him, watching the wind create ripples on the surface of the pool.

he felt deeply fond of both girls, but one of them... was more special. his heart would sink every time he saw her sharing a bed with someone else. Noah never gave too much thought, but desperately would cling on to the image of replacing whoever was lying next to her.

he knew how she would make fun of his snoring, but just as the night they were together, she would roll him to the side, in order to stop it. of course, with a chuckle.

“i didn’t want to be in this position...”

who would? to choose between your partner, and a wonderful possibility, is probably the last decision any inslander wants to make.

“and i thought a lot about what i wanted to do...”

he did. countless hours of beating himself up, because deep down, the decision was made _ages_ ago. _days before_ the disastrous recoupling took his partner from him.

when, after fixing a hoodie, he shared a brief, but changing kiss. his heart fluttered like never before. and even if his brain interrupted the moment, he caught himself thinking about it, over and over.

he couldn’t forget how soft, and sweet, it was. not only their lips finding each other, but the peace he felt while it happened.

during the days the girls were gone, he was more than conflicted, and made a decision. a decision that hurt the three of them, and as an apology, he held hope in his arms, shooting _her_ an apologetic look.

he wished hope wasn’t the one to run into his arms.

He pictured that moment many times, and even though his relationship was somewhat good, his mind couldn’t escape his heart. _she_ was always wandering back to his thoughts.

“and i’m sorry for hurting you both, when i decided to switch...”

her nerves peeked through her gaze at that moment. Noah noticed and tipped his head to the side, his kind eyes roaming between the girls, who waited for a decision.

but somehow, they always fell on her.

he couldn’t stop it. he couldn’t help it. and as from that moment, he would stop trying.

“i can’t emphasize how hard this is for me...”

his mind was flooding with the moments he spent with both, but even as rare as they were, he couldn’t shake his head enough, to erase the image of _her. She_ was the right choice.

since the beginning.

he knew it, _she_ knew it, even hope wouldn’t want to admit, but deep down, she agreed. their relationship had no possibility or future. she couldn’t give up on the things she wanted for herself, and neither could he.

Despite having feelings involved, his heart once beated faster for someone else.

“i’m sorry, hope... the girl I want to couple up with is...”

as he said _her_ name, hope’s eyes were welled up, tears streaming on her highlighted cheeks.

everyone around shared concerned looks, expecting a brutal reaction. anger. disappointment. even yelling. but all she could offer was a nod, before turning her back to the group. there was a familiar noise, coming from the cleavage of her top, and with it, the dreaded text.

“hope. you’ve been dumped from the island. you have thirty minutes to pack your belongings and say your goodbyes.”

Noah approached her, apprehensively, but she raised a hand. her dark eyes traveled to the bashful girl who stood beside her, before the decision was made. “it’s fine.” she said, shrugging and letting lottie’s and marisol’s arms involve her waist, letting them take her inside, to pack her bags.

Noah seemed somewhat, lost. he knew what it was right for him, and for the first time in so long, he said it out loud. no fear. except the one that took him by storm when imagining his life without _her._

“hey...” she approached him, coyly, slowly furrowing her brows. “are you alright?”

“what?” he turned to see the girl he chose, lacing her fingers in front of her body, a flutter of her lashes showing emotion. “yeah... i’m ok.”

before another word could escape his mouth, she threw her arms around his neck. her voice soft and trembling. “thank you... so much.”

“don’t thank me.” he pulled away, letting his hands travel to the lower of her back. a couple of tears formed on the corners of his eyes as they crinkled with a smile. “this is what i should’ve done... this is what i wanted.” he hesitates, taking a lock of her hair and placing it behind her ear. “is this what... you wanted?”

her grin was spreading fast across her lips, and even though she held back her excitement, to respect hope’s departure, she nodded, also tipping her head, a glint of hope in her eyes.

“yes. this is all i wanted...”


	3. Noah - Pool Dialogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if you could choose the boy you want to talk to, by the pool, during the Shannon-Jo fight?  
> This one is about Noah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  [Listen to this 1 hour loop while reading](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61iYbEUdNTQ)

Funny how there’s noise, and yelling, but you can’t barely hear anything. At this point in the villa anything minor can set people off, and tonight is no different.

You don’t have the patience anymore. You hardly had it before, but now, it’s up to them to make amends. Your head rests on the doorframe of the kitchen as you watch the boys stepping inside.

Except for one.

The night just became a little warmer than usual. Or was it a certain presence moving by the pool that fired up your senses?

It’s almost unfair how he manages to stop you on your tracks without even saying or doing anything. Not a single word is needed.

There’s a soft sigh coming from his direction, perhaps a little louder than usual. Was that a glance?

Usually, it is.

Most importantly, was that an invitation?

Every move and peek coming from him was cryptic enough for you to doubt it, but as you turned your head, trying to locate Hope, you saw her by the fridge, completely out of his sight.

“Right now?!” you think to yourself, without even realizing your feet decided for you. “Alright… I guess looking doesn’t hurt…”

His eyes were following the cascading water from the opposite side of the lawn. The water was dashing with such strength you wondered if it was always so intense.

Just by approaching him, at any point, makes your heart flutter too much to be healthy.

That’s the thing about him. You notice small, almost imperceptible features on the least expected places. Almost as if he was guiding your gaze with his, so you could share a small moment together, free of guilt or any expectations.

“Is it too obvious if I go there?”

“ _Don’t worry about it.”_

You felt a pit in your stomach, eyes widening, wondering if you said your intentions out loud.

_“Hope. It’s cool.”_

From the perky, yet silenced voice, you could conclude it was Chelsea’s reassurance that met Hope’s expectations halfway your path to meet him.

Without a second look at the storm in the kitchen, you left. Sometimes you need determination, more than you need to be up to anyone’s standards. Especially when they’re Hope’s.

You have been respecting their space, but still, there’s unfinished conversations with Noah, and tonight is just as good as any other.

It was already a mist of inaudible noises and pointless accusations that you stopped listening ages ago. At least it felt like ages.

Approaching the pool. Too obvious? “Ah! Who cares? It’s just a conversation. He’s not a child, and neither am I.” again, thinking to yourself, somehow trying to excuse your will to follow through and just sit by his side.

And after taking a seat on the coping, it was obvious. The night wasn’t warm.

You were.

The pit of your stomach was empty, and in place, it seemed a pack of violent seagulls wanting to rip their way out of your chest, passing right through your booming heart.

_“So…”_

How was it possible to have such a calming voice, yet, setting your entire body on fire, all at once?

“So…” you responded, narrowing your eyes at a butterfly on a nearby faux leaf of the lawn. “You ok?”

“Yeah!” he said immediately, avoiding any head movements. “I mean… yeah. I’m ok.” There it is. His cool tone, unbothered, that you thought was so pure and silly, but just as charming. “You?”

For the first time since he was saved, he turned to look directly into your eyes. But this wasn’t the only pair set on you. Hope’s was burning through the back of your head, you could feel it.

“I’m alright, I guess.”

For a moment it felt like Noah didn’t possess the power to respond. Whatever was the reason, it seemed ‘shame’ was the strongest motive. “A-are you sure?”

You raise your brows, searching for something in his piercing gaze. “I don’t know why you ask.”

“You don’t?”

With a sad smile, you look at your hands, resting on your lap. “No… or I do.” Your head shakes as you shrug lightly. “I guess I’m just confused.”

“Glad I’m not the only one.”

His eyes went wide. Enough to lure a soft laugh instead of the gloomy tone of your voice. “What?”

“I mean… well…” he sighs, scratching the back of his head, furrowing his brows. “I…” He’s not going anywhere with this. He never does. After a while it becomes easier to spot whenever he lacks something, and right now, it’s words.

“Anyway. Good talking to you, Noah.”

Before you can hoist yourself up, his warm grip shocks you. Did he just wrap his fingers around your arm? Stopping you from leaving? What?

“W-what…” his grip was delicate, but his gaze was urgent.

“Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Noah looks at his own hand, slowly letting go of your upper arm as you settle next to him, startled. “I just wanted to… I don’t know. Talk.”

You laugh, smugly, averting your gaze. “I thought we just did.”

There’s a frustrated exhale escaping him. Puff of air by puff of air. “You know what I mean.”

“I don’t think I do. And that’s completely fine.” Warmer. Second by second, he didn’t respond, your blood was almost boiling. It started out as an urge, now you’re on the brink of anger. This is the same boy who didn’t give you a true reason to switch, who took Hope in his arms without a second thought.

This didn’t happen last year. Or even a month, or a week ago.

“Noah. Let me just say something, and then you can talk your talk, whatever it is.”

He knew how to hide his true feelings, but not even someone with such a skilled poker face could’ve disguised their disappointment. He was in shock. Maybe for the first time since you closed the distance between you, ten days ago, and finally kissed him.

At least your gloominess seemed to be contagious. His discreet smile was nowhere to be found.

It seemed that no matter how many deep breaths you took, you couldn’t tone yourself down. and if it was out of control, might as well stir into the skid. “I can’t stress this enough. I’m so…” you exhale sharply, measuring your words, looking for the right ones in the middle of so many you have flowing in your mind right now. “… _angry_ at you.”

“A-angry?” He raised his brows, far enough to alarm anyone around. But right now, you didn’t care who was sneaking, eavesdropping or trying to. You had enough.

“Noah, you chose me. _You chose me._ For what?” Is it you or you’re not quite articulating whatever your brain wants to spill on him? “What the fuck was all that for?!” your thumb points to the fireplace almost behind you. “You stole me from my partner after calling our kiss a mistake!”

“I didn’t call it a mistake!” he raises his finger, almost as entitled as he did when objecting Chelsea’s words.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Mistake, misunderstanding, whatever you said that night, Noah!” That will be enough to draw attention from the kitchen. Not that you didn’t already have an audience, but now, it’s difficult to ignore the most loyal boy in the villa with what they called “a hiccup in Nope’s relationship”. “Do you have any idea how that hurt me?”

“Yes!” his arms were raised and his hands twined behind his head. “Of course I do! But it wasn’t… I didn’t…” Noah stops on his tracks, eyes completely lost, following the ripples on the surface of the water, resulting from his agitated feet. For a split second, his eyes fall on the kitchen’s door, trying to make who is where, and what they’re doing. “I know that. Trust me.”

“Th-then… why?” your sighs are even more frequent, maybe even more than the day before.

“I don’t know.”

“Wow. The man with all the answers doesn’t know.”

You mention to get up, but again, his warm grip, even less tight, stops you. “I know you’re mad, and you should be. I just…”

“What?”

His fingers rub his eyes, deeply, for a while. Long enough for you to take your seat, again. It’s so surreal to see Noah like this. Defenseless? Is that the word you’re looking for? Upset? No.

Frustrated.

It seems he’s the type to have every answer, all the time. You are not sure of the thought, given you’d never had the time to talk, just the two of you. There was never a chance to have a deep understanding of the type of person he is, outside of all this madness.

People say a week in the villa is like a month or two on the outside, and now, you can vouch for that. It really messes with your notions of right and wrong. Fast and slow. One minute you meet someone for a date, two days later you feel like an old married couple.

But how would you know how to proceed? How to talk or even try to resolve things when you don’t know the person in front of you? Sometimes it’s just easier to let go.

“It’s fine.” you say, adjusting your hips to lift one leg, letting your foot rest just above the coping. “Honestly.”

“No, it’s not… it’s that thing I told you…”

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a commotion on the kitchen entrance, directly behind you both.

“I know! She’ll cool down, I think!” Chelsea’s perky voice, in its common volume, can be heard from the roof terrace, where a couple of guys have drinks, carelessly watching as the girls stomp their way to the bedroom.

It could’ve been just a blur of confusion, but you could’ve sworn there was another pair of burning eyes on you and Noah, coming from upstairs. Right now, you couldn’t care less.

Everything you were searching when you came into this villa slowly slips from your grip. And yes, there’s a name for this thing that keeps slipping, but you don’t want to think about it anymore.

“I’m sure she’ll calm down.” Hope’s voice sounds less than reassuring as she offers a coat to Elisa, who follows through and enters the villa, leaving the door open behind her.

“Are you coming, Noah?”

For a second you would’ve mistaken that calling with someone else’s, but it wasn’t Hope who tried catching his attention.

“Not right now.” He responded to Lottie, turning to face the artificial waterfall in front of you. More violent than never, splashing droplets all over the wet deck.

_“It’s fine.”_

You could hear, again, a whispered voice towards Hope, who tried her best, but not even someone so hard could hide her fear. She was scared of you, for some reason.

Was it something he said? Or something he did? She was fine this morning.

You never know with Noah. He blurts out important things out of nowhere, then stays quiet for days. Another reason why you thought they would never work. As a couple, they had two out of three things.

Chemistry.

Timing.

But there’s something else you can’t fake. A simple ingredient that passes as basic, but for some reason, a lot of people forget about it when making life changing decisions. And that was the main thing missing there.

It wasn’t that they weren’t a “cute” couple, or that they didn’t look good. It was about compatibility. Or the lack of it.

“Trust me, babes! That’s something they don’t have!” Chelsea said, after sitting with you, back in the fireplace from Casa Amor. “I love Hope to bits, and I guess Noah is alright…” she giggled a bit, before clearing her throat. “But… they don’t have what you have with him.”

It seemed like a true friend just trying to reassure you amid so much going on. After coupling up, being separated after only one night, and one kiss, worrying about a video, about a kiss that wasn’t you or Hope, and to see him welcoming his ex-partner with such open arms, and to top it all off, none of the girls had your back while it happened.

As Hope walked slowly, probably expecting him to follow her, it seemed to take an eternity and a half for her to step in the house and close the door. While walking along with her, Lottie took her coat, throwing it on her Hope’s shoulder, rubbing one of her arms with a solidary stroke.

At last, the door clicked.

There was still company close, but it didn’t seem the boys upstairs cared so much.

“Look…” Wow, he speaks. “I _am_ sorry.” A smug chuckle was enough to make him move his hand, to rest on top of yours. “I truly am! And you know what?” Is that Noah talking in a fierce tone or was he replaced mid conversation? “You have no idea how I’m feeling right now.”

“Because you never talk about it, genius.” A hushed tone was all you needed to make realization dawn on him.

“I know that. It’s just…”

How come a librarian, who spends his entire time cataloguing and reading books and articles has such difficulty speaking?! “Yes…?” expectant, and just a bit hopeful, you shoot him a look. Not even you know what it looks like, but it feels your facade is coming down.

“I just don’t know how to say things without hurting people.”

“O…k…” your brows couldn’t furrow into a more confused manner.

“It’s like this… I told you before. I do have feelings for Hope, and…” he stares at his hands, fiddling with a rubber band watch on his wrist. “And I’ve been in relationships before. But when a girl comes to me and says those things… _or do…_ those things…” He smiles lightly, enough for the corner of his mouth to display it. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Right.”

“And when Hope was…” Noah rubs his chin, shutting his eyes for a moment, before turning to you. “… when I saw her crying, running towards me, it kinda felt like I should’ve…”

He stops. Again. Oh my god. It takes him a solid minute to speak again, nervously playing with the collar of his jacket. “Like I should’ve been there to hold her, you know?”

“Right.”

“I don’t mean it to be so dramatic. It’s just Hope and I have been together since day one.”

“Yeah, no, I know. I’ve been watching from the VIP section.”

“Right…” was that a chuckle?

“Noah. It’s fine. it’s not like I’m gonna get what I want, and you’ll magically understand how I feel.”

His gaze finds yours again, eyes filled with something you want to believe is optimism. And enthusiasm. “But that’s where you’re wrong! I do know. I do!” he hits that space bar over and over, hoping the message will sink in. “But I… I didn’t want to hurt either of you. I swear! It was dumb to think you would just throw things away, just like that!”

“Finally. You’re right about one thing.”

His thumb grazes on your knuckles, before he reaches to your shoulder. “And I know my response wasn’t the best when we talked.”

“Oh, look at that! Two in a row. What a fucking miracle.”

“Stop.” His tone swerves between sadness and amusement. “I should’ve apologized for switching. I should’ve! But I didn’t know how.”

“It seems like you do that a lot. Or you know… _don’t._ ”

He nods. “I’m awful at reading people. I don’t understand what’s going on until someone yells or tells me exactly what I should be doing. And with relationships?” he blows a raspberry, almost by accident. “I just really…well… _suck at them.”_

“Hun, we’re all aware.”

He smiles, tenderly, after biting his lip. “Right… but I want you to understand one thing about me. And I hope I can make it up to you, if possible.”

Oh my god, not again.

His eyes keep searching for your gaze, now lost in your own wrists as you play with your bracelets, avoiding any closeness.

“I’m just… trying to understand all this a little better. And if there’s anything I can do…” His pleading eyes exchange a look with yours as you raise your head from your lap. He knows what you want. And right now, it’s hard to ignore what he wants from you. His gaze flickers to your lips for just a brief moment. Enough to make your mouth stay agape as you try to speak.

His face gets closer. So close. Too close.

You can feel his warm breath near your chin, your lips. You’re not sure if either of you are moving or is it just the night’s temperature, stale. Almost as if a response, strands of your hair flutter with a light breeze. How long has this draft been happening and you didn’t notice?

Maybe not long enough since Noah doesn’t show any signs of stopping.

You can feel his nose brushing on yours. So softly you can convince yourself it’s innocent. He comes closer, his scruff tickling the skin of your cheek. You touch the side of his face, delicately. “Not yet.”

“N-not… yet?”

You were so caught up in your conversation you didn’t even notice the boys weren’t outside anymore. And as your eyes fall on the empty balcony, you sigh with relief.

Why were you relieved? You don’t even like your partner. There’s no one that makes your heart race like Noah does. What is this fear of someone seeing what you’re doing? He and Hope are not officially together. You couldn’t care less about your partner, and the last thing in your mind should be what others are thinking.

Maybe that’s what he’s thinking too?

Maybe what he feels is also _fear_? But of what?

“I…” he says your name, his brows brushing gently against yours, his face not even an inch away. “I really want to kiss you now.”

You can’t stop that impulse. That urge of having his lips on yours again. It’s just too hard, and it’s exhausting to pretend you don’t care.

You do care. You do want this. As much as he does.

Anyone from a mile away could feel your hearts fluttering for each other.

His lips touch yours, so delicately you can feel the hesitation coming from his heart. There’s no time to stop him as he closes that small gap. Almost as a reflex, his hands rise from your shoulders to the sides of your face, gripping so safely you let your own rest on top of his.

“I…”

His voice can’t leave his throat, and more than a sentence, he lets out a moan. It sounds like relief. Just in time to sync up with yours.

“I…”

You run your fingers on his hair, messing it up, twining them in your grasp. There’s a lot to be said, and a lot to be resolved, but not now.

Not now that you can have him like this. Not when your stomach this much. No one can make you feel so soft. No boy, no girl, no song, or place.

It’s him.

You hate to admit to yourself, but it’s him. He’s the one who races your heart, who lures a wide grin by just shooting you a tender look. A silent smile from him is superior to any intimate moment you had in this place.

It beats them all.

The kindness on his expression when he laughs at your jokes, even in a group, it’s exhilarating. Enough to make you wait.

His scent mixes with yours as you embrace each other. His arms snake their way around your waist, bringing you so close your legs twine. He tilts his head to the other side as you do. It happens so naturally with him. The first one, although brief, was the same. No efforts, no trying again, no bumping each other’s anything.

He deepens the kiss as his fingers dig the sides of your body. You can feel his heart thumping close to your chest. His tongue languidly touching yours, his soft and low moans sending all sorts of sparks down your spine, your scalp. Every part of your body feels the impact of his kiss.

“I…” He says again, not slowing down his pace.

“I know…”

Neither of you are ready to stop. Neither of you want to stop, and the idea of grabbing his hand to take him to the fireplace, out of earshot and sight, becomes more and more tempting. Just a few steps and you could have him right there.

Normally, a kiss isn’t enough to make you have these thoughts. But Noah is not a normal guy. He’s no ordinary boy you find lying around, and the thought of getting up to take him there makes your heart pound so hard you can feel it in your ears.

His lips leave yours, and for a very fleeting second, you fall apart. Just in time for him to reach your ear. He takes a deep breath, the exhaling making goosebumps run on your arms and legs. “I want this.” He nibbles on the nape of your ear, biting it tenderly as he breathes again. “I really want this.”

His forehead rests on your shoulder, his hands in place. Was that a sigh?

“… but?”

He exhales with a frustrated tone only he can. “But we can’t… right?”

You let your head rest against his, his nose brushing your neck and his lips kissing the skin right below, near your collarbone. “Right.” Never a one-syllable word was so hard to come out of anyone’s mouth, you’re sure of it.

The tension is even more unbearable now that the right decision is made.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…” he starts his sentence but can’t make himself move away from you, staring at your eyes under his eyelashes.

“D-don’t… don’t worry about it. It was…”

His head rises from your clavicle, and he completes your sentence. “Mutual?”

You nod.

“It was, wasn’t it?” his lips seem to curl into a smile, but those were the last words you heard from him that night. He recoils his feet from the pool, causing bigger ripples to resonate on the water, getting up slowly.

You let your head fall, to stare at your lap, and from the corner of your eye, his hand catches your attention.

There it is again. That kind smile that you love just as much as you hate it. Noah nods to the door, on the side of your spot, offering help to hoist you up.

You walk, side by side, heading to the door.

As an attempt to make this night last, just a little longer, you direct your gaze to the view beside the pool. nothing but the ocean, waves crashing on the shore and the moon above the water, it’s bright reflection swaying as the waves peak for a moment.

Noah smiles gently as you both share that silence, that view.

His fingers brush on yours for a moment, before he raises your hand to his lips, brushing them on your knuckles.

No words needed.

He reaches for the knob, turning it and stepping aside so you can go in first.

Before you do, you grab his waist, bringing him closer, tiptoeing to reach his face, planting a quick kiss on his lips. His hands run on your forehead, pulling your hair behind your shoulders as you tilt your head back. He kisses you with so much eagerness it’s unbelievable you won’t get to take him to bed tonight. It might be your mind playing tricks, but you can swear there’s a smile through that kiss.

It has happened too many times now. Too many to ignore.

But just as it started, on the spur of the moment, it ends as he pulls away, still holding one of your hands. He licks his lips, trying to make a word come out, clearly not being able to say something as eloquent as he would wish.

“Good night, Noah.”

It’s better to end his misery. It’s so odd how he can articulate when you’re not the subject.

He perches his lips in response, letting your hand go, watching you walk away, his hands in his pockets.

"Way to go."


	4. Lucas - The same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> an ask i got on tumblr got me in my feels!  
> "Anonymous asked:  
> mc x lucas but if they hated each other most of the time in the villa (she hated his stuck up vibe, he hated the fact that she was always right, she hated his stupid gelled up spiky hair after he pretty much yelled at her for getting 10cm too close) and it’s only until the last recoupling they realise that oh crap they’re each other’s person🥺 i can just IMAGINE there’s one fight they have when mc gets all emo and lucas is like crap i’ve actually hurt her and he realises he (almost) lost the best thing that’s ever happened to him ugH the angsty fluffy enemies to friends to lovers arc we DESERVED"  
> i didn't know how to respond to that ask, so...  
> sometimes i make a list of actions/headcanons, and sometimes i just... start writing and can't stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a playlist you should listen to while reading this piece of garbage: [play with fire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKIHVsu-pnM)  
> also, everything is in low caps 'cause i was writing this in the body of my answer, directly on tumblr. maybe i'll gather some energy to change it, but i don't see it happening.

that morning was, by far, the most annoyed he was at her. he couldn’t even bear to hear her voice, always so perky and excited about nothing important. “can you please be quiet? i’m trying to enjoy my breakfast, and it’s hard when a living carebear doesn’t allow it to happen.” he glared at her right after rolling his eyes, swirling his coffee for the tenth time since she stepped in.

“oh, i’m sorry, mr. koh... you do realize the kitchen is public domain in this villa, right?” she gestures to her surroundings, sarcasm spilling from her lips, taking a step forward to talk closely to the boy, her voice almost as menacing as lottie’s about girl code’s violations. “this isn’t the lucas show, even though you keep acting like it is.”

he took a bite from his plate, grinding his teeth on the fork in an attempt to annoy her. “why don’t you go find something nutritious in the fridge… and choke on it?”

“i can’t! you took the last pair of eggs, you selfish jerk!” she flipped her hair, holding the back of his stool as she spoke, out loud, not caring who would hear. “i can’t wait for the next dumping, and the opportunity of kicking your pompous ass out of here!”

“oh, the feeling is mutual, rainbow dash!” lucas’ eyes stared back, the kitchen’s scenery disappearing behind the fog of hatred they had for each other, his vision blurred except for the contour of her face.

“how do you know who rainbow dash is?” she smiled the cockiest grin she could find strength to display. “a fan, i see.”

“oh, piss off!” clearly, he didn’t have a comeback good enough to make her go away, so he decided to do it himself. for some reason they grew to despise each other, even though they shared the bed for a while, right after casa amor days were gone.

but deep down, lucas would question her reasoning behind saving him instead of anyone else. he did switch to a new girl, leaving her vulnerable. why not just getting him dumped there and then?

blake wasn’t exactly the breath of fresh air she appeared to be on the first few days they met, and it certainly didn’t make his ex-partner feel at ease with her presence in the villa.

switching wasn’t the smartest, or even the most heartfelt choice lucas had ever made.

yet, she, the girl right in front of him, decided to give him a second chance despite the hate they felt towards each other.

he still remembers her shocked face when he decided to disrupt her couple, stealing her away from a partner she thought they had great chemistry.

“no they didn’t!” he said to himself, his honest thoughts about her so-called chemistry bolting from his mind, directly to his mouth when asked. “they’re terrible together! i mean, _she’s_ terrible, but still...”

he tilted his head, while thinking about the last few days, before the ceremony that put her in danger. on the roof terrace he wondered about whether his decision was the last drop to make their entire “friendly” relationship to tank.

“maybe it was my fault.” again, his head too loud to be ignored. “she didn’t even want to be with me! why was she so hurt about anyway?” the memory of the daybed, after the disastrous recoupling takes place in his brain. “she said she wasn’t interested! made a big deal about me stealing her. get bent!”

“are you gonna stay there, staring at me!?” her irritated voice pulled him back from his reflective moment, luring an immediate glare as he did.

“fine! i’m going!” without much flourish he threw his plate in the sink, not worried about how loud or arrogant that would look.

“this is exactly the kind of shit that makes you look like a fucking knob, you playboy!”

he stopped on his tracks, eyes wide, turning on his heel to face her, again, narrowing his eyes while propping his hand on the same backrest of the stool she was gripping with such anger.

“what the fuck did you just say to me?”

“now you’re not only a prick, but also deaf?!”

he huffed with disbelief. “call me ‘playboy’ one more time, i dare you.” his finger hovered in the space between them, a vein popping on his now deeply crimson neck as he nodded at her in a defiant manner. “do it.”

her brows raised with disdain, her free hand holding her own waist. “i said...”, her face, close to his, enough for her warm breath to brush his chin, “you’re not only a fucking knob...”, the way she articulated every following word, to pause in between, sent him to hell and back, “but... also... a... _playboy.”_

lucas’ jaw was as clenched as their grip on the poor stool’s backrest, breathing out from his nose, the sound as loud as his head while telling him to get even closer to her face. “you had to go there.”

“you did it first.”

their gazes, flowing back and forth between their exasperated eyes and trembling lips went on for a few more seconds, before they were interrupted by a worried bobby, stepping in between to avoid a tragedy.

“this isn’t over.” lucas alerted while stepping out of the room, breathing loudly with frustration, throwing a hand as he walked out.

~~

“she’s just so fucking annoying! everything she does just has to be perfect, ya know!”

“mate, there’s only one more week to go. try to cool off.” henrik responded, offering lucas his own water bottle.

“i can’t believe her! she just gets to my fucking nerves every time! every time! wherever i look, there she is! with her... p-perfect little face, and her perfect little hair! this outfit, that outfit! my god, she never shuts up!” he enunciated his words with such vigor, it lured a chuckle from his friend.

“mate, it’s fine. you just have to steer clear. i’ll help if you want me to.”

“what?! now i’m gonna have to check the rooms to see if she’s there?! that’s bullshit!”

henrik’s face contorted into awkwardness. “if you want an easy life, then... there’s not much we can do, right?”

“i just hate her!” he took a gulp from the bottle, dangling the cap strap on his fingers, rubbing his eyes with annoyed energy. “i just want to hold her shoulders and shake her! you know!”

“right...” the climber’s eyes were following his friend’s motions, suspiciously.

“and i just want to throw her against a wall so she shuts the fuck up!”

“yeah...”

“and just!” lucas threw his hands up, as if the answer could rain on him at that moment. “she pisses the fuck out of me!”

“yeah, she does...” henrik couldn’t be any more skeptical even if he tried to hide it. for someone so slow, even he had caught up to speed at this point.

~~

“i just want to make him shut up for once, you know! he never shuts up!” her heart was beating so fast she was afraid her mate could hear it.

“babes, you just need to stay away.” chelsea fluffed a pillow so her friend could rest her back. “i’m sure if you two steer clear from each other, you’ll be fine! you shouldn’t let him get to you like that.”

“ah!” the girl couldn’t control herself, punching the freshly cool pillow in front of her. “what do i have to do to make him understand? i hate him!”

“whoa... ok. hate is a very strong word...”

“it’s also very fitting! he just...” she covered her face, trying to cool down her skin by pressing her fingertips on her cheeks, flushed and warm.

“you know... it seems like...” apprehensive, chelsea cut herself short. “nevermind.”

“what?”

“i mean... babes... you and lucas seem to have lots to uncover there.”

“what do you mean? i don’t want anything to do with that jerk!”

“clearly...” she rolled her eyes, involuntarily.

“what’s _that_ supposed to mean?” the girl pointed to her mate, almost not being able to lower her voice.

“i just think... it would be a good idea to talk it out.”

“talk it out?! that boy only knows the word ‘monologue’!”

“then let him say everything he wants to say, so you can let him have it too! i know we’re a week away from leaving this place, but babes...” she grabbed the girl’s trembling hands, squeezing them with reassurance. “a week here is like a month on the outside. just... clear the air. trust me!”

“right.”

~~

“fine. tell me.” she sat on the cushion of the firepit, adjusting her outfit, waiting for an avalanche of mean words she was certain he was about to spill.

“i don’t have anything to say to you.” his tone was dismissive as his hand gesture was.

“fine.” a mention to get up was enough to make him brush his fingers on her elbow.

“wait... ok...” it was visible how much he struggled to make that small effort. “i guess... we can talk.”

the islanders were all scattered on the lawn and kitchen, trying their best not to be so obvious about eavesdropping, but the crunching of food and distant sound of large gulps were impossible to ignore, even from that distance, the welcome party completely left on the back burner, so they could watch one more episode of their favorite telenovela, happening right there, in he villa.

“i’ll start.” she said, decisively.

“of course you will...”

“see, that’s the type of thing you do that really drives me insane!”

“ok, ok! i’ll shut up.” he motioned his lips being sealed, shrugging as he stared at her, expectantly.

“that’s a first!”

“i’m trying here, girl. i really am!”

“fine! then i’ll say this... you switching to blake…”

“this again?”

“yes! this again! you know why?”

“i’m sure you’re gonna tell me!” lucas’ voice suddenly was out of his control again, but his tone, even though was low, was still sardonic.

“you know what? you’re so fucking selfish!”, she felt her eye twitching, “you never even apologized for that! are you joking?!”

“apologized?! for what?” he could feel an imminent heart attack and wasn’t able to hold back anymore. “ _you_ said you didn’t want anything to do with me! remember that?”

“lucas...”

“no, no! let’s talk about that! about that night, that i put myself out there, because i wanted to pursue things with you, and you, miss fucking perfection, brushed me off like i didn’t matter! let’s discuss that for a moment!”

“wait, what?”

“why do you think i picked you that night?! i didn’t do it for the sake of having every guy in this villa mad at me, that’s for goddamn sure!”

she was taken aback, as if that was the first time she heard about his intentions. and indeed was. “you never told me that...”

“so picking a girl on a recoupling doesn’t say that, huh? ‘cause i thought that’s what recouplings were for...”, he couldn’t disguise his disappointment, “you know, when you want to, you can be really perceptive. but it baffles me how easily you ignore other people’s feelings when they don’t matter to you.”

“i...” for some reason, for the very first time since she walked in that villa, she was speechless.

“and i switched to blake because you made a big deal about not wanting to be with me. what did you think was gonna happen?” he turned on his seat, fiddling with the silver band of his watch, pursing his lips.

“i... just thought you did it to...” she shook her head, brushing off her next words.

“i know exactly what you thought. and no, i didn’t do it to piss you off, or anyone else. i just... didn’t know how to ask you about it." was this how lucas non screaming voice sounded like? “we were always civil at some point, so i figured... if i didn’t take the chance then, when would i ever? everyone else was pulling one out of the hat, so i did it too. but i wanted to…”

“oh...” she crossed her legs, hugging her own shoulders as her mind wandered to that night, remembering how she might’ve been too harsh when answering his question. “i... had no idea. i mean... you never said anything. not even after blake was gone.”

“you called me ‘friend’! when you saved me, in front of everyone...” he pointed to the firepit where she stood that day, painting the picture from his perspective. “you... said ‘friends’ and i knew... you didn’t feel the same. and that’s alright. what was the point anyway?”

“what do you mean?”

“of saving me?” he propped his chin on his closed fist, resting his back on the electric pink cushion behind him. “if you weren’t into me, why did you save me?”

“who said i wasn’t...” with a sigh, she stopped herself, playing with the rim of her dress, picking on the loose thread coming from the side. “ok... look. i saved you because... i guess i couldn’t imagine the villa without you.”

“yeah, right!” he folded his arms with a grin that could only be interpreted as snarky.

“i mean it...”

“no, you don’t.”

“come on, who else would make my life miserable and turn my days into the worst? not bobby.” she chuckled, shaking her head, avoiding his gaze fixated on her.

“you... you mean that?”

“well. no. i mean... yes, we were never too close, but...” she shrugged deeply, tipping her head to the side, staring back. “i figured you deserved to stay. i wouldn’t pick anyone over you.”

“what?”

“i mean, like, jakub was the fucking worst! and i don’t think that guy elijah deserved to be here any more than you did...”

“o...kay... could you be more vague?”

she slapped his arm, playfully, concealing a genuine smile. “i just mean you were here for the right reasons, i guessed it anyway.”

“ _i am.”_ was that an exchange of looks that wouldn’t end in death? now i’ve seen everything. “listen, i don’t want you to think i chose blake over you because i liked her better.”

“wow... that’s comforting.”

“come on! wouldn’t you be upset if you were in my shoes?” lucas dipped forward, twining his fingers and placing his forearms between his legs, his gaze lost in the faux grass in front of him. “of course i wanted to make you mad... you rejected me… it was brutal.”

“i know.” she mirrored his pose, searching his eyes. “i’m sorry i said that, by the way. i really, really, can’t stress this enough, i _really_ thought you were just messing with me.”

he let out a soft chuckle, running his hand on the back of his neck. “guess i brought that on myself, then.”

“you really did.”

“ok, i get it, the word of the day is ‘really’.”

the islanders, bending over the counter, had their full focus on the couple of housemates, sitting together as they exchanged yet another knowing look.

“lucas.”

“yeah?”

“i was so angry at you i actually thought of places to bury your body.” getting a completely different reaction, she watched as lucas had a laughter fit, the back of his hand covering his very wide smile. “i’m serious! you’re terrible!” she nudged him, letting his laugh contagiously lure one from her.

“that’s amazing!” he ran his fingers on his gelled up hair, shaking his head. “that’s brilliant, cause same!”

“i know that! we just hate each other’s guts!”

he stopped, his chuckle fading slowly as he faced her, once more, licking his lips and catching tears under his eyes. “ai ai. i needed that. but we don’t... _hate_ each other, right?”

“whatever do you mean...”

“i mean. not real hate. just... annoyed hatred. right?” a hint of insecurity showed right through his words, teasing the girl to think before speaking.

“i guess... not?” smiling, she replied, biting her bottom lip with uncertainty. “i don’t know! i thought so.”

“well, yeah, you’re annoying as fuck, but...”

“oh, shush!” she rolled her eyes but was unable to stop her grin.

“and i’m the fucking worst.”

“exactly!” her fingers snapped with high energy as her shoulders heaved with her giggle.

“worst superheroes ever.”

“yeah... we would be terrible together.”

“you think?” his lips curled back in a serious facade, expectantly as his fingertips raked the rim of his jeans.

“you don’t? i mean, today earlier i really thought we were gonna... um...”

“gonna?”

“i...” her stomach fluttered as she reminisced on how close his face was to hers, his eyes filled with anger and his lips with mean words, but still, that urge of throwing him on the next counter, to make him shut up was very present.

“yeah?” he approached, eyes searching for the missing words that suddenly faded into thin air, waiting for what she had to say that would make him broken again, if she explained why they would never work out together.

“i don’t know...”

“you don’t know?” lucas adjusted himself on his seat, uncertain of what to do next, tipping his head forward in an attempt of finding those words he needed to hear. “tell me.”

“i...” gobsmacked by the darkness on his eyes, she couldn’t help closing a portion of the distance between them, trying to put herself into that state of mind from earlier, not a single word making its way out of her mouth.

“i think we wouldn’t be as bad.” he said, in a low voice, almost bashfully waiting for her reply.

“you... are kidding right?”

“if anything, we would make the walls crumble.” he cut himself short, now realizing his words might’ve been perceived as ‘weird’.

“what did you say?”

“i mean... what i meant was... i told henrik earlier! i wanted to throw you against the wall to make you shut up! that’s all! just like you were planning my death.”

“oh... right.” there was a slight disappointment in her response as she lowered her head to stare at her own lap, playing with her ring.

“yeah.”

the silence following his sentence was deafening, except maybe for the audience’s reactions, munching on cereal and snacks on the other side of the lawn, an occasional gasp to complete the symphony.

he contemplated getting up and simply apologizing for being rude earlier. or the day before that. or the day before that. suffice to say, he wanted to correct the past week he was directly nasty, and the days before where he was so cold.

he tried.

but nothing happened.

“wait! how the hell throwing me against a wall would make me shut up?!” with an awkward chuckle, she continued. “how exactly... no, seriously, explain to me, whatever mechanics you’re working with, so i can understand.”

“wh-... i don’t know! i just wanted to throw you against a wall!”

“effective!”

“there you go again, being sarcastic.”

“can you blame me?! that’s the dumbest thing i’ve ever heard, and i had a gym session with jakub!”

“oh come on! i’m not nearly as stupid as he is!”

“so you admit you’re stupid?”

“what?” lucas gathered every fiber of his body to restart a screaming match, only to look at her and see the playful look she was shooting him. “you...” his laughter was partly relieved and partly embarrassed.

“it’s like...” her hands gestured to an invisible table in front of them, a massive grin dancing on her lips. “these are my buttons, push all of them! and you know what? i _love_ buttons.”

“yeah, i noticed.” he squinted, trying to suppress the new light she was under. “you really do piss me off all the time.”

“it’s just so easy, lucas.”

“what did you call me?”

confused, she retracted her torso. “um... what?”

“you called me lucas.”

“sorry, i thought that was your name.”

“shut up.” with a nudge, he felt his shoulders relaxing, his heart slowing its beats gradually. “i meant... not ‘jerk’, or ‘rude’ or...”

“playboy?” she completed, watching his face immediately contorting into annoyance. “i’m sorry about that, by the way... i didn’t really mean to.”

“yeah, you did.”

“no, i mean, yes, i did mean to call you that. but i don’t think you’re... a playboy.”

“yes, you do.”

she shook her head, eyes running all over his shirt and neck, the deep tones of red cooling its shades down, going back to his usual tanned. “i really don’t. i was just hurt.”

“because of blake?”

“among other things. you can be so self-centered sometimes! and do you need that much gel on your hair?”

“what’s wrong with my hair?” his palm fluffed the tips of his dark locks, his face concerned.

“i tell you you’re self-centered and your hair is the thing that makes you desperate?” she scoffed.

“me being self-centered is not news! but my hair always looks good.”

appalled, she opened her mouth to speak, but lucas was shooting a stupid, and smug, grin. “oh my god!”

“i played the reverse card on ya.”

“you did.”

a smile was shared. for the first time in 17 days, a genuine one. the type to steal any word or gesture, motions or even thoughts. he was stunned.

the light surrounding her was different, yet so familiar, he didn’t know how to do or what to say next.

“let me start by saying this.” she took the turn, slowly turning her torso to face him. “i’m sorry i was rude to you that night. i guess i was in the wrong place, and i figured you just wanted to make me mad. it never crossed my mind that you wanted to be... romantic.”

with a mirrored motion, he let his fingertips slide closer to her hand, resting on the wooden bench under the colorful pillows. “i guess i should say i’m sorry i switched. you were right about me being selfish, though. i did that to piss you off, to...” his eyes rolled as he huffed at himself. “make you jealous. i didn’t think it was gonna hit you that hard… even though i wanted to.”

“wow...”

“i know. immature.”

“and honest. which i appreciate. if there’s something i could never call you is ‘liar’. because you’re not. i like that.”

“you... like that i’m honest? i thought that annoyed you.”

“well, when you throw me in the middle, sure! but like... who wants a man that isn’t honest?”

“who wants a man...” his thick brows furrowed as he stared at her in disbelief. “so now you want me?”

“yeah.” her throat went dry, that one small and very powerful word she tried her best not to say. “i mean, what i’m saying is...”

“no, no, i get it. you want me. it’s so clear now!” he smugly licked his lips, gaze pointed at hers like a gun ready to shoot, his eyes narrowing. “everything makes sense now! you want me.”

she threw a dismissive hand turning her head, avoiding his attempts of fixating those gorgeous eyes on her. “oh you wish!”

“well, yeah.”

“what?!”

“i mean. you’re terrible! don’t get me wrong. but...”

“but?”

“i already know i’m gonna regret this, but... you’re not that bad.”

“i’m not that bad?” now it was her turn to be smug, and she wouldn’t save up on the stupid grin on her lips. “go ahead. say it.”

“i have nothing to say.”

“i disagree. i think you want me too.”

he pointed to her with a loud voice. “ah! so you do want me!” he got up from his seat, taking a bow at her, savoring every huff of frustrated air she let out on his way back up, shooting her a cheeky wink.

“you’re the worst.”

“yeah. established. confirmed. very much public information at this point. but the news here...” he slowly propped his hand on each side of her shoulders, gripping the rim of the backrest behind her. “is that you want me. it’s confirmed and you can’t take it back.”

“fine.”

she looked at him, under her lashes, drawn in as he closed the distance, only to whisper in her ear with a low voice. “you have to say it. say you want me.”

“never.”

“i can make you.”

“i would love to see you try.”

the staring competition had begun, lucas’ intensely focusing on making her blush, his eyes dark and deep, giving her a hard time to avoid them. she tried. it was visible she was grappling with the thought of not giving him that satisfaction. after so many debates, so many rude words exchanged, and so many pissed off afternoons he caused her, she wasn’t backing down that easily.

with a fierce and steady motion, she closed the distance between them, her breath brushing his lips as she firmed up her voice, tilting her head with defiance. “go ahead. make me.”

for someone so ever composed around others, he seemed to have his guard down whenever she was nearby. it was uncanny just how much of everything she would cause him to feel.

he perched his lips, a feeling of anxiety taking his stomach and heart the closer they were to each other. he couldn’t hold it back anymore, the surge of electricity that ran on his spine making him advance towards her mouth, his lips crashing on hers, her hands holding the sides of his face, just as inviting as her own body at the moment.

the entire background faded as they both deliberately let themselves sink into the kiss, languidly enjoying the heat emanating from their bodies. with no signs of stopping it, lucas took a seat next to her, immediately letting his hands grab her waist, bringing her close as he grunted on the back of his throat.

she ran her nails on the back of his head, following a path to his chest, his heart pounding under her touch, bringing a smile through the kiss.

cheers from the islanders, all the way to the kitchen, alarmed them both to stop, but still, resting their foreheads together, they were trying to understand what the hell just happened.

~~

the night, cooler than the one before the final recoupling, was starry. the flames seemed to keep everyone warm in this very breezy night.

she stood up as she got the text, whipping her phone from her pocket, excited to stand up, maybe for the first time ever since her journey started.

“i want to couple up with this boy because...” she sighed. “he's a pain in the ass.”

he smiled from across the flames, hands joined in front of his body as he looked at his feet before raising his head.

“he’s absolutely stubborn! always debating everything i say, pushing my buttons every opportunity he has.”

“ _i love buttons.”_ he mouthed, luring a grin on her lips.

“but like i told him last night... i couldn't imagine the villa without him. and maybe i thought it was for different reasons. never thought i would stand up and say just... just how much i respect him.”

his nerves were apparent under his mildly harsh expression, tipping on his feet with anticipation.

“i want to couple up with him because i know no one will challenge me like he does. no one has that type of gut, to just make me angry because i’m wrong. and i reckon that’s exactly what i need. someone to...” she smiled at him. “call me out on my bullshit.”

the islanders, took by surprise, laughed along.

“so the boy i want to couple up with is...” as soon as his name flew from her, he shook his head, rolling his eyes with a huge grin, unmistakably happy, clearing his throat to give her his speech.

“i want to couple up with this girl because... she’s just too much for anyone to handle... but i’m up for that challenge.” he bit his lip, nodding at her. “it took me fucking forever to understand why i needed to bicker with her so much… and that’s because i never realized we were the same person.” he clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, chuckling to himself. “and i didn’t have the best luck in here. maybe because i ignored all the signs that were right in front of me. i don’t want to waste any more time that we already did. the girl i want to couple up with is...”

never she heard her name said in such tender manner. they both stepped forward, closing the distance that still separated them, her arms thrown on his shoulders, his embracing her waist, their lips meeting halfway to the wave of applause going around the firepit.

as they pulled away, taking a seat together, she leaned in to whisper in his ear. “you’re still the worst.”

“so are you, _babe_. so are you.”


	5. Ibrahim - Overdue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in December/2019 I started writing for Ibrahim and was developing his pos-villa story.  
> But as time went by, I realized how hard that task was becoming since I'm not a stan, per se.  
> I focused on the characters I do stan and decided to stop his portion of the project,  
> because I couldn't find a track to follow and make justice for golf boy.  
> I did though write the first chapter, and decided to turn it into a one-shot.  
> So that's what this is!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen to this playlist while reading if you feel like it: [softer than this might be already melted](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4AtjdcZd_k)

The buzzing from winning the show is still ringing in your ears, even after days you and Rahim came back from Spain, to settle down in his place for a while. It seems somewhat unbelievable, and too surreal to be true.

Both of your journeys, turbulent and filled with insecurity, somehow came to a nice ending, and it feels surreal to have the ending you imagined on the first couple of days.

Since then, you’ve been staying in his place, back in Birmingham. It was a hard bargain, but neither of you are ready to go back to your normal routines. You hope for more time together before you must absolutely plan about your next step.

It’s been almost a month since you were declared the winners of this year’s season, but still, you can sense something isn’t right with him.

Asking him? No, it hasn’t been an option. The fear of having an answer that could ruin the honeymoon phase is bigger than your curiosity. But the opening and closing of his mouth, apprehensive, is starting to make you doubt how comfortable he really is around you.

It’s been happening since the night at the hotel, before you took the flight back to the UK.

Despite having Ibrahim comforting words, it’s still somewhat impossible not to wonder what would make him shut himself before speaking.

“Hey…”

His voice is always the first thing you hear in the morning, always tender and careful to not be so loud. When the first thing you smell is a mix of his aftershave and the scent of your favorite blend in a steaming mug, a smile is almost automatic. But as soon as he takes a seat next to you, there’s a string of tension radiating from him.

From time to time he seems like he’s enjoying himself more, and letting go of his inhibitions, having fun carelessly. But almost instantaneously, that high energy drops to an eerie vibe, as if he was trying to tell you something, then giving up on it, halfway.

He’s not the most forward person you know, but you want to think you give him enough space to talk about what could be bothering him.

Every tense moment is followed by innocent invitations.

“Do you wanna watch a movie tonight?” as you put the popcorn in the pan, you feel his arms snaking their way around your waist. His voice is timid, but excited as he responds.

“Yes, absolutely! I don’t feel like going out tonight…”

“Hm… same. If I get another flash on my face, I’m going to jail for breaking a camera!”

He rests his forehead on your shoulder, laughing heartily, before kissing your cheek. “You do get feisty when some of them are abusive.”

Your smug smile lures a chuckle as he grabs your sides. “Don’t even pretend you don’t like that.”

“Wouldn’t dare.”

Rahim steps aside, with a smile, but it fades before he can reach for the cabinets above the sink. Grabbing a couple of wine glasses from the high cupboard, he stops, for a moment, holding both of them, his eyes fixated on the colors reflecting the light from outside.

“Hey…” your voice doesn’t seem to catch his attention. “Babe…?” you shake the pan to allow the kernels to pop, still focusing on him.

He squints, tilting his head, playing with the stem of one of the delicate glasses. “Shit…!” he gets distracted enough to almost drop one of them, catching it before it hits the metal bowl of the sink below. “Sorry… sorry…”

You try to fight the urge to question his quirkiness, but before you can close your mouth, it speaks without consent. “What’s going on with you? You’ve been distracted, acting weird since we came back from the villa. Are you… alright?”

Ibrahim’s massive hands let go of the glasses, placing both on the marble top with a thud, before rubbing his temple. “I’m sorry, babe… I’m just…” with a deep sigh, he shakes his head, shutting his eyes.

“What’s going on?” you turn the tap on the stove, facing him with a sympathetic look, grazing his arms before gripping his hands, kissing the heels of his palm. “Talk to me...”

“I…”

There’s an attempt, more than hesitation, this time. But again, something stops him from moving forward and blurting his words out. He licks his lips with apprehension before tightening his jaw. “It’s nothing important…”

“Oh, come on! Yes, it is!”

“No, it’s fine... everything is fine…”

You bite your inner lip, slowly letting go of his hands. “You know… it’s pretty clear something is bothering you, and it’s been happening for a while. It’s sad that you can’t tell me what it is.” Turning on your heel, you walk towards the door, leaving him by the sink.

“Wait.” Rahim takes a deep breath before slowly following you to the kitchen entrance. “It’s… nothing for you to worry about.”

“Well, that’s… not true.” You look up, under your lashes, perching your lips before continuing. “I mean, we _are_ together, aren’t we?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Then… why is it so difficult for you to trust me?”

“W-what?” his brows lower closer to his lids, enough for a crease to grow in between. “Why are you talking about trust?”

“If you trusted me, you would be able to talk this out, right?” your arms cross over your chest, but before you can tighten the grip, he touches your shoulders, grazing his thumb on your skin.

“No! Oh my god, no! Not at all…” his head hangs back for a moment before he can recompose his tone. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just…”

“Yeah?” expectant, you search for his eyes, confused.

“I…” his stutter causes a small wave of anxiety in your stomach. “Ok, let’s take a seat here.” He pulls one of the stools from below the kitchen island, offering you a seat. “I’ve been meaning to tell you this, but I didn’t know how.” his palms rub against each other, in a tense way.

“Babe… what is it? You can talk to me.”

With an exasperated breath, Rahim rubs his temples, his fingertips following the trails of his braids. “Alright… since we came back, like you said, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something, but I… I didn’t know how.”

You smile bashfully, drawing random patterns on the countertop. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“Thing is… I’ve been thinking about a lot of things.”

“Like…?”

“Well, like when you came back from Casa Amor… and you saw me with Shannon, you didn’t really say anything about it.” he watches as you prop your head on your hand, your elbows on the cold surface of the kitchen island, letting his own voice adopt a slight hesitant tone. “And we talked that day, but I never talked about Shannon with you. And ever since you chose me, I’ve been meaning to…”

You raise your palms, in protest. “Babe… it’s water under the bridge.”

“Please.” He exhales sharply, before tapping his fingertips on the counter, reaching out to hold your entire hand in the middle of his palm, raising it to his lips. “This is important to me. Let me just… get my words right.”

“Alright…”

“See, when I met Shannon, we were all in a very weird place. And I think I can include the girls in this situation as well. So, when we heard Casa Amor was happening, most of us were just relieved that the drama would stop for a few days.” He sees you twisting your lips, without knowing how to react, immediately luring a defensive motion from him, as he continues. “But it was never meant to be this whole thing. When I met Shannon I wasn’t exactly… interested in her at first. But then, that video. When I saw the video with you and the girls, I… thought you were moving on really fast! Especially because we weren’t a couple anymore. I didn’t get to choose you at the recoupling, and I guess I felt...”

He cuts himself short, pursing his lips as he huffs.

“I see…”

Not noticing your disappointment, Ibrahim rests his cheek on his fist. “And Shannon was great. It was… I don’t know. I was feeling a little more confident about things. And even if Lottie talked a lot about loyalty, I thought she would bring someone back. Everybody knew Gary and Lottie weren't the couple of the year…”

“Right…”

“So, I brought Shannon.” He shrugs, a look of what it seems to be disappointment at himself, coming through his dark eyes. “When you and I talked, I wanted to apologize to you. Bobby even gave me a whole speech about being loyal, even though you were coupled up with someone else. But… I don’t know. I just felt I had to move on…” he cringes with a sigh. “…and chose her to do that with.”

Your leg trembles with nervous energy, your feet perched on the stool base, both of your hands between your knees. “Right. What about Jo?”

His mouth opens and closes, like it has been for the past month. “Jo…” he plays with the rim of his shirt, slowly rolling his fingers on the fabric. “It was something different. She was cool and I felt that she was different. As the days went by, I noticed how Shannon might have been the wrong choice for me. She wasn’t just confident.” He paused with a pained expression, shaking his head while finding his arms over his chest. “The way she would talk about things I like, and things I wanna do for fun, it was…” he stops himself, before stating what it seemed obvious.

“Conceited?”

“Yeah!” his hands gesture a little wilder as he goes on. “Pretty much. And we all saw what was going on with Noah and Hope. I didn’t want to be in _that_ relationship. One you don’t get to enjoy things because the other person is annoyed by them.” his voice drops in volume and energy. “So, when the time came, for the next recoupling, I wanted to choose you. I did. But I thought you were moving on from me. I thought you had other plans.”

“Moving on?”

“Yeah… all those challenges, those moments you had with your partner… it was… I thought you had moved on for sure. I just didn’t want to lose face, I guess. It was harsh but I picked Jo because I knew she was into me.”

“Jo…”

“Yeah. She was way more lay back than Shannon. The whole thing about the kiss…”

“Don’t get me started on that!” you see his eyes going wide as you stop him, raising your hand. “You weren’t even there to hear the absurdities coming out of everyone’s mouths.”

“It was that bad? You girls never said what happened… like, the details.”

Your shrugging motion baits a cringing expression on his face. “Suffice to say, they attacked each other from the moment Chelsea told everyone about the kiss. The day at the beach was hell! I wish I could’ve stayed in the Villa, playing pirates with you and the lads!”

“You see what I mean? Too much drama!”

“Jo was involved too! And she was awful about it!” your brows furrowed as you slapped the counter with anger. “People are always asking me to solve their issues, and I don’t wanna get involved. But they insist, so when I do, Jo would call me a people-pleaser!”

Ibrahim is taken aback, blinking slowly, but still maintaining his pose. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know… I just wanted to…”

“No, it’s cool. Just. Finish what you were saying.” Your eyes follow his gesture as his finger traces one of the marble patterns on the counter. He then rubs his neck, uncomfortably. “So, I chose her. I had to pick someone, and I’m not gonna lie to you. I did think we could’ve had something. Shannon was fun to be around, but she was condescending at times, and honestly? I knew we weren’t a good match.”

You tap your foot, trying your best to not burst with your questions. Keeping your tone, you nod, biting your bottom lip. “So… what about that girlfriend thing? With Jo?”

“Oh my god!” his immediate reaction was the most honest you’ve ever seen. It lures an awkward chuckle from you before he continues. “I wanted to believe things would get better for me if I invested myself in that relationship. If I made a commitment, maybe stronger feelings would come with time. I mean…” He shifts on his seat, fidgeting with one of your hair ties on his wrist. “My time in the Villa was a rollercoaster. We coupled up on day 1, Priya stole me, I chose you, you chose me, I switched to Shannon, and… well, hurt you in the process.”

Rahim stares at his hands, clearly uncomfortable, trying to focus his attention on his knuckles as he cracks them. “Then I chose Jo and asked her to be my girlfriend. I was a wrack… when you picked me at the last recoupling, all those feelings came rushing back in. I wanted to believe that I could move on from you, but that moment…” he smiles to himself, playing with the hair tie, pulling it from his skin and letting go, multiple times. “It was the happiest I felt since the last night we spent together.”

You fight the urge of a smile, keeping the best poker face you can. “Really?”

“Of course! Being with Jo was… I don’t know. I thought I would let go of you and try something new. I chose to stick with her because of how drama-free I thought she would be, and she just showed me how wrong I was, with every single move.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on… she grinded and twerked on your partner on that challenge. Like...” his voice gained an undertone of annoyance. “You can’t tell me it wasn’t on purpose! She couldn’t grind on someone else’s partner? It had to be your.” He shakes his head again, rubbing his eyes. “She was being rude to people for no reason, and I noticed just how much she would be like that with you. I didn’t appreciate it, but I figured… it was late in the game.”

“Right.”

“And I wanted to prove myself. Everyone was talking just how much of a disaster I am with girls… delivering the wrong lines, not being smooth enough!”

“You know I don’t care about that, right?”

He nods, lowering his head to stare at his knees. “But I wanted to show to everybody else that I could do it. so I asked her to be my…”

Your hand hovers in the air as you cut him short. “Don’t remind me.”

“And then, you chose me, and I realized none of that really mattered. No money, no winning. I was thrown back to the first days, and it reminded me of why I was there, in the first place. And I didn’t care how that hurt your partner or mine. I just cared that you wanted to be with me, and I finally realized I wanted to be with you.” He crosses his leg, grabbing his foot as his gaze fixates on yours. “I know that sounds like a lie, or like an excuse, but this is why I wanna spend as much time as I can with you, here, on the outside. So, I can prove to you that you’re the girl I wanna be with. The _only_ girl I want to be with.”

“You didn’t know that.” you slap his arm, playfully.

“I knew it was gonna be different since the moment we kissed.”

“That’s not true!”

“Yes, it is!” he smiles, shrugging a second slap, grabbing your hand to brush his lips on your knuckles. “That day you took me by the neck and just kissed me. You just really went for it! At that point, we’d just met each other, but the butterflies I felt… it was too much to not go back for seconds.” He giggles, reminiscing on the moment you spent on the roof terrace. “The more time we spent together, the more confident I felt to just, grab you and kiss you.”

“And you did… a few times.” Your grin is impossible to be concealed as much as you try.

“And I wanna continue doing it. That confidence I felt at the Hideaway with you, was the most confident I felt, ever. You give me strength to be who I am, and I don’t even know how you do it. But I love it.”

“I’m glad I can help.”

“And look, I’m not saying, ‘forgive me right away and forget about Shannon and Jo’, but I really want a chance to show you that I care.”

Your eyes catch his, a gleam coming across the sable tone of his iris, but a look of concern just as intense. “I know how confusing it can be in there. And yes, you’re right, you hurt me when you switched to Shannon. Even though we weren’t coupled up, I did stay loyal to you, Rahim.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“And you could’ve just talked to me about it. You chose to just… not. I understand you liked Shannon. Not gonna lie, I liked her too. But I wish you were more open about how you felt. We could’ve avoided all of this if you had just talked to me. We could’ve been together the entire time.”

“You have no idea how much I was anxious to do that! I wanted to pull you aside and tell you everything I felt, but… I didn’t feel confident.” It seems the biggest concern he had wasn’t exactly apologizing for the switching, though. His tone was still preoccupied. “So, what does this mean for us?”

“Well.” You take his hand in yours, placing it on your chest, your heartbeats increasing in speed. “I chose to split the money with you. That was… the way I found to say I trust you. I’m not saying, ‘forgiven and forgotten right away’, but I _am_ saying… I’m putting my faith in you.”

A grin spreads across his lips, reaching his eyes as he tips his head to the side, looking at you with his kind eyes. “Really?”

“Of course, dummy! I wouldn’t have if I didn’t want us to work.”

“Which… brings me to the next thing I wanted to discuss.” He bites his inner lip before building up a firm voice. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I decided to not take my half.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Yeah. Look, you chose to split, and that shows that first, you’re a better person than most people I know.” He smiles along with you, grazing his knuckles on your cheek. “And second, that you’re serious about us. That makes me really, really happy. But I wanna show how serious I am about you, and I’ve been wondering what I could do to show you that, and I think it’s for the best if I don’t take the half you gave me.”

“Rahim… it’s 25k. I know you make loads more than that, but like…” you laugh, raising your brows. “Are you sure about this?”

“I want to show you that, with or without the money, I’m with you because I love you.” He sees the grin on the corner of your lips, letting you tilt your head, resting your cheek on his giant palm, grazing your skin on his. “Besides, having you here, living with me, is all I want from you.”

“So, you don’t want me to split it with you?”

“Nope. It’s yours, and you should keep it.” He cups your chin, looking deeply into your eyes. “I just wanna put all this Villa business behind us and be with you, for real. I don’t care how long it takes, I’m gonna try to make you happy, every day, because that’s what you deserve.”

It takes more than a brief moment to contemplate his sincerity. “If that’s what you want, then we can do it.” your gaze follows the walls of the kitchen, following the tiles to the hallway. “I like it here, you know. It feels right.”

Rahim’s cheeks feel warmer as you touch them, bringing his face closer to plant a kiss on his forehead, his eyes closing as he feels the warmth of your face near his. “I’m glad you agree, babe. ‘Cause I think you fit in here perfectly.”

“Good. ‘Cause you’re not getting rid of me so soon.”

“Lucky me.” He smiles, leaving a trail of kisses from your cheek to your neck, tickling the skin below your ear, whispering closely as his arms embrace you under yours.

“I love you.”


	6. Mc Prompt - Evil identical twin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this ask came in my inbox:  
> "I saw your ask about litg s2 mc in a fraternal twin situation. But what if like, identical and mc saw their twin in casa amor like 😳😳"
> 
> they are talking about this post, where the situation was similar, a twin coming in Casa Amor, proceeding to fool the boy that takes her back.  
> But the evil juices were flowing like hell in this anon, and they asked for an identical twin!  
> [Part 1 if you're interested](https://ravenadottir.tumblr.com/post/640662754067349504/in-love-island-uk-i-watched-2-bombshells-coming)  
> .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a playlist you can liste to while reading this absolute house of madness i just wrote: [evil twin 2, electric boogaloo!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVv10YxP0AU)  
> 

_ ((For the reference of mc and her evil twin, I’m calling them “Robin” and “Rachel” respectively. On a gary route, being stolen by Lucas and very close mates with the boys. No operation Nope here)) _

The boys are laying around the lawn, the sun as punishing as Hope towards Priya after Operation Nope took place a few days back. The weather was stormy with a chance of slapping. The most frequent sound this morning is a collective of deep sighs, followed by awkward silences every time Lucas says a full sentence.

The conversation is mostly about how good of a break this could be, putting all the drama to rest for a few days, and just try to enjoy the sunshine. Not that a little bit of it didn’t stay in the villa between Jakub and Noah. Or Gary and Lucas.

Please, whenever you observe the inertial state of the boys, disregard Gary’s ghostly face since he had his girl stolen last night, and by the boy he despises the most. “What a bloody playboy. How could he?” he said, throwing his towel on the trunk in front of the bed, this morning, venting to his closest mate, Bobby.

Despite the animosity between them, there’s a silent agreement of only using long and hard words to keep Jakub excluded from the group conversation. Not that it mattered. In less than five minutes, the orc boy was about to forget everything about Hope, Priya or Robin, and try to focus his very cheeky self on a new set of amazing looking… girls.

There were footsteps coming from the main entrance, and somehow, the lazy and laid back energy going around the lawn shifted. Too quickly and too abruptly.

The boys perked up with the possibility of new girls. Some more than others, and just as per usual, Gary’s eyes wouldn’t leave Lucas’ neck, burning an imaginary hole just below the playboy’s perfect hairline. If he stole a girl, he would better keep it in his pants and have some respect. At least that’s what Gary thought it was fair, anyway.

“Wait…” Lucas' eyes went wide, and it took a lot to make a composed guy like him to blink away his shock. “What…” he nodded at the girls’ direction, infuriating Gary, until he saw it with his own eyes.

“What is she doing here?” the crane operator perked up more than before, watching as the new islanders did the walk down to the stairs, lots of “hi’s” and “how are you’s” resonating with perkiness and waves. His thick brows furrowed, and a deep, deep crease between them as he stood there, confused. “What are you doing here, babe?”

The girl’s face crumpled into immediate confusion, staring back as she air-kissed Noah, followed by Bobby. “Do we know each other, babes?”

“Oof… denied, Gary. Denied.” The pastry chef shut his mouth after an elbow on the ribs. “S-sorry… so, Robin. This is Casa Amor, mate. Aren’t you supposed to be surrounded by buff, hot new guys?” another elbow in the ribs lured an interjection of pain. “Ow, what the fuck, it’s just a joke!” he rubbed the side of his torso, pursing his lips, his gaze fixated on the girl in front of them.

“Oh… right…” The girl took a seat, between Gary and Lucas, fluttering her eyelashes at both as she responded, her legs crossing in a gracious manner. “Um… this is embarrassing… but my name is Rachel.”

“EXCUSE ME?” almost in unison, the boys sitting on each side of the new twin stared at her, gobsmacked. What were the odds of their partner being replaced by an identical twin, that even worse, none of them knew about?

And the thinnest chance of it all, the new girl was into the two boys her sister had been coupled up with. But as Noah and Gary suspected, this wasn’t a coincidence. Or as Bobby and Rahim. And Lucas.

Pretty much every boy that wasn’t focused on chatting up the new girls as perkily as Jakub was. Hope who?

“So… you and Robin…” both boys, again, staring so intensely you would think they’ve found some sort of Holy grail.

“I know… so weird, right?” she hugged her knees with twined fingers, her eyes bouncing between them, her long lashes as flirty as her smile. She rested her fist under her chin as she proceeded, the tone of her voice impossibly enchanting. “So, which one of you handsome boys is going to show the villa around? After all…” she leaned closer, winking at Lucas. “I’m new.”

Impossibly smitten, Lucas shook his head, huffing as he noticed what it was about to happen. And if you’re thinking “he’s going to choose this girl, tanking his friendship with gary, robin, and every other islander that’s friends with both, consequently getting himself into a pickle not even someone so astute and intelligent as him could ever get out” then you guessed right. Quite specific if you ask me… but let’s move on!

As the girls took a break from getting to know the boys, to get to know the villa, the whispered conversation the og guys had was all but discreet.

“Mate! What the fuck!” Noah said, brows raised. “Did she ever tell you?” he directed his speech to Gary, who was still somehow absorbing the brief encounter they just had.

“No! I had no idea!” gobsmacked I tell you.

“Well, this works out perfectly for you two, doesn’t it?” Rahim, without noticing the subtle hints of “please shut the fuck up” coming from the pastry chef, continues his so brilliant speech. “I mean, you two have been quiet all morning, and we all know why. So if you ask me…” he cocked his head, nodding towards the group of girls stepping in the main house. “Problem solved.”

“W-what?” someone has to slap lucas’ back so he could finish his sentence. “... the fuck...? you do know they’re not the same person, right?”

“How would you know, my guy? You never even talked five minutes to Robin, what the fuck do you know about her?” All sets of eyes were stunned, even Jakub’s, now fully paying attention for the first time since the new girls came in. “I’m just saying… you had options last night.”

“Oof…” Bobby couldn’t help a facepalm.

“Wait a minute. You’re giving me shit for following your own advice? Are you kidding me, mate?” the response bolted from Lucas’ throat, as appalled as he was.

“Oh, I’m sorry. When did I suggest stealing someone else’s girl for the kick of it?”

The discussion was about to get heated, and the rest of the group needed to disperse, but the attempts of breaking the group apart were in vain. It was a rain of insults, passive-aggressiveness flowing in both of their words, offense taken and given.

“What did you expect?! Every girl was being stolen, and I don’t see Rahim flying on Noah’s neck because of Priya. No one cares about it, but hey, if you’re that insecure, perhaps you should direct your efforts in a different direction. Maybe, I don’t know, take a shot at someone who’s actually into you.” Lucas nodded at Rahim with disgust in his eyes. “No one is pulling each other’s balls except for you, mate.”

“I’m not your fucking mate.”

Gary stood up abruptly, following the stone path to the roof terrace, holding back any more hurtful words that could escape him as he walked away from the crowded lawn.

~~

The afternoon, and the “stick or switch'' ceremony, approached, and the lads were trying to make up their minds. For some it was a piece of cake. Bobby knew he couldn’t lose Marisol if he took someone back. Noah already had two girls and a lot on his plate. No chance of increasing that thick storm. Gary had slept next to a girl that he barely talked to, and Rahim was smitten by Shannon’s attitude and looks.

They walked out of the dressing room, watching as a very angry and crying Siobhan threw a wooden spoon at Jakub, the massive boy ducking just in time to see it getting chucked in the water.

The newbies came to her rescue, taking her to the bathroom.

“Everything alright in there?” Noah asked, nodding once, firmly.

“Yeah. What’s it to you?” Jakub mirrored the librarian’s head motion, walking towards the group, radiating imposing energy as he puffed his chest.

“alright, lads, settle down.” Bobby and Gary took the empty spot between the two boys, raising their arms as they gave away a warning gaze. “No need for any of it, yeah?”

The response came almost in unison, both of them narrowing their eyes, turning on their heels to opposite directions.

The group dispersed, doubles and trios formed around the lawn, waiting for the dreaded text to come, so they could get this over with.

Gary couldn’t even look at Lucas without mumbling insults under his breath. He kept his promise of not flying in the boy’s direction and twisting his neck. But just as the rest of the boys knew, this wasn’t going to be easy.

For the past three days Lucas had been coupley-touchy-feely, and rainbows and unicorns towards Rachel. His choice was obvious. So obvious Gary was partly relieved that he didn’t stay loyal to Robin. This way it was easier for her to make a decision once she needed to make one.

He stood by the pool, arms folded over his chest, watching as the discussion got heated between Rahim and Lucas, on the daybeds.

“I don’t see you dying of remorse for bringing Shannon back, mate! And you know what, since we’re on the topic, I didn’t see you even blink towards Noah’s direction, even though you were pissed off that night! None of you said a word to each other, and you all stole each other’s girls!'' Lucas' arms were waving and expressive as his tone of voice was angry. “Gary stole Robin from Bobby, but did that boy say a word?! Noah stole Priya, fucking Jakub stole Hope! They were supposed to be the strongest couple of this goddamn villa but she’s not worth a single word?!” he got up, gesturing wildly as he pointed to the other group. “You’re all fucking cliquey! you can all do the shittiest things to each other, but when someone from outside of your precious fucking group does something, it’s the end of the world?! I’m starting to think the problem is me, and me only.”

Rahim tried his best to keep the conversation contained, but that was enough to make Gary step towards them, a look of determination on his face. “What did you say there, mate?”

“I’m not your mate, Gary.”

“Alright, lads, settle down.” Noah and Bobby took turns to hold the boys back.

“You call us cliquey but you forget you were the fucker who stole my girl, don’t you?”

“How could I forget with you blabbering about it every five minutes?!”

They were getting closer to each other’s faces, fists closed on the side of their torsos.

“Did you at least apologize, Lucas?!” The crane operator’s neck was gaining the known tone of vibrant red, his veins popping under his skin, visibly pulsating. “Did you say anything remotely respectful to me, at all?! You spent the last three days cracking on with her sister, mate! Her sister! Can you imagine how that’s gonna hurt her?”

The girls rushed to the lawn, watching as the exchange turned up in volume.

“Ohm please! Don’t pretend you’re not happy about this! Besides, Rahim is gonna switch too, I don’t see anyone pulling his balls.” Gary opened his mouth, but Lucas cut him short. “You are all fucking cliquey. anyone of you can do the shit you want and get nothing for it. I made a choice, and it was done. Period! But you? You cheated on two girls in the same night and kept it quiet, didn’t you?”

Gary’s eyes were wide as he pierced through Bobby and Noah’s wall again, pointing his finger on Lucas’ face. “Say that again, I fucking dare you.”

With a sarcastic smile, Lucas, calmly, took a step forward, Gary's finger hovering close to his nose as he spoke back, in a controlled tone of voice. “You cheated on Marisol. And on Robin. And you…” he enunciated every word in his next sentence. “you – kept – it – quiet, didn’t you?”

As gary squared up his shoulders, followed by the physical therapist, the boys once and for all pushed them back, in opposite directions.

“Enough!”

For the first time since… ever, the boys were smacked with Noah’s loud voice. It was startling enough to make even Bobby’s eyes pop and his voice disappear.

“You two need to stay away from each other! Gary, go to the kitchen! Bobby, you go with him.” The pastry chef nodded, holding his best mate by his shoulders, turning him to go straight to the kitchen. “You, to the gym. Me and Rahim will go with you.” The golf player took his hands out of his pockets, repeating Bobby’s routine as he directed Lucas to the gym.

“What about me?” Jakub asked, standing up.

“You… just don’t move.” Noah’s alerting voice was almost hilarious to the others. “Don’t say anything, don’t touch anything, don’t even think… you know what, you got that last one covered. Just… stay.”

Each of the parties took their path to their respective spots, exchanging fiery looks between them as they did.

~~

Robin stood there, waiting to see if she was safe in a couple, or in risk of getting dumped.

It felt like an eternity and a half until the doors slammed open, revealing Lucas’ hand holding someone else’s.

But just as quickly as the shocked faces all around the firepit took the anxious expressions away, Robin's eyes widened. “w-w-wh…” The word was stuck in the back of her throat, watching a triumphant Rachel walk side by side with her partner, googly eyes at each as they stood together, in front of the group, their shoes crushing the lawn under their feet.

Robin couldn’t even turn to see the appalled looks on the girls and the solidary looks on the boys’ faces.

Lottie was speechless, for once. Her eye shadow was creasing as she raised her brows, her eyes mutilating Lucas and the Robin duplicate standing in front of the firepit. Hope’s lips were trying to make a word, but this was so surreal not even Dali could capture this unique moment. She was shaking her head slowly and steadily, her eyes darting at Robin and back to the new couple.

Chelsea tried to reach her friend’s hand, missing it for a split second before robin raised it to her lips, covering her mouth with surprise. Priya’s mouth was hanging, she was more shocked than seeing Rahim back with a new girl.

Marisol pursed her lips and they stayed like that. Her gaze following every little motion Robin did, almost preparing herself to step forward in case one attacked the other.

But none of it mattered. The only person the public had their eye on was Robin. Amongst hands covering mouths, eyes wide, brows raised, the girl, who decided to stay loyal, stood there, in front of the recently formed couple, alone.

For a moment her eyes darted to her ex-partner, contented with his decision, even though she didn’t know if it was for her or his new couple, she had more faith than that.

But just as she discussed with the boy who stole her not four days ago, she was happy to stay loyal, to keep him in the villa. He made a mistake, but that’s human.

Reminiscing on the conversation they had that night of the recoupling, her stomach turned once. The smug smile of her sister staring back as they waited for a reaction. “No girl they bring can hold a candle to you” he said, the morning they were leaving. “We’re gonna do this for each other. So we can both stay.” He promised. “Well, that was a fucking lie.” She thought to herself, eyes blazing towards them, Lucas’ head hanging low as he stared at his own shoes, his free hand in his pocket.

Rachel’s face tried its best to not crumple into a satisfied countenance, concealing a smile on the corner of her lips, almost pouting in response.

“I’m…” Robin's voice came out strangled, struggling to find its way out of her mouth. And even though she managed to say those words, they were coming through her teeth as her jaw stayed clenched. “… happy for you.”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Rachel cupped her ear, leaning forward with an innocent expression. “I didn’t hear you.”

“You don’t want to hear me. Because if you do, it means I’m too fucking close to your face.”

Robin’s alerting words made the boys move. One by one they stood by her side, Bobby almost in front of her, Gary’s eyes searching for hers. “Hey. We’re here. It’s alright.”

But she couldn’t control her anger, or her fluttering heart, beating so fast and intensely, it felt like it was trying to beat its way out of her chest. The skin on her neck, red and fervent, was turning into a new shade of crimson, her nerves salient under the blushing. “Come closer so I can say it again, Rach.”

“My pleasure, darling.” Her tone of voice was even more disturbing, forcing Lucas to hold her hand tighter, pulling her back from her intention to step forward.

“Let’s go.” His grip was intense enough to take her away, but before they could, Robin's voice, even though low and somewhat controlled, resonated in the silence of that night. “How could you, Lucas?”

Painfully aware of his mistakes, he stopped on his tracks, shutting his eyes with shame, biting his inner lip with anxious energy. “Rob, I’m sorry.”

“you should be.” She nodded in his direction, watching the perfect smile on her sister’s face disappear with every one of her following words. “You’re taking the cheaper version of me…” the sound of Rachel sharpening her nails was audible from the casa amor house on the other side of the lot. “…and that one doesn’t even come with dignity. Or remorse. Or a heart.”

“I’ll show you what doesn’t come with a heart!” Rachel bolted towards her twin, hands arched into claws as she advanced, almost hopping through the boys, trying to reach her sister. “Get over here, you fucking coward!”

“I’m the coward?! Not you, right?” Robin's tone was of debauchery, but no one could blame her at that point. “You really came into a reality show to steal away a partner, Rachel? Trying to humiliate me? Can’t you see?” she gestured to Lucas, sniffing away a tear. “I wasn’t even with him and he feels guiltier than my own fucking sister!”

Before she could start a new sentence, Rahim and Lucas took Rachel away, leaving Robin to take a much needed breath. “Fucking hell!”

~~

As the nerves settle down, Lucas tries to have a conversation with Robin, at the roof terrace, but her senses are completely fogged by the imagery of her sister coming in, stopping her from having a civilized conversation with him.

Guilty, he decided to sleep by himself, on the daybeds. Even though he knew there was no hope for him and Robin, he still felt like the biggest knob in the UK, and it wasn’t for nothing. His ex-partner’s face, when seeing him walking in with his arm linked to her twin’s was probably the most bitter moment she’d had so far. Maybe even more than finding out about Gary and Lottie’s snog.

She dismissed him quicker than he could say “please”, going downstairs, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

The night was so beautiful, yet, ruined so fast.

As Lucas walked in the bedroom, the judging eyes would shatter the little confidence he still had, making him rush to grab a pillow and covers, to leave the communal bedroom as fast as he could.

“You’re not… sleeping here?” Rachel asked, looking at him under her lashes, her favorite move.

“No. Sorry.”

With not much ceremony, he walked out, throwing the beddings on his shoulder, closing the door behind him without looking back.

The next day was a battle of glaring eyes towards Rachel and Lucas, even though he avoided her as much as he could.

“It’s not fair!” she yelled to Shannon, who patiently listened to her venting session, quietly observing the motions around the villa.

“Right…” she adjusted her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose, watching carefully as the people would whisper insults under their breaths, Rachel being completely oblivious about just how wicked her attitude was.

The animosity and tension were broken by the sound of Bobby’s phone, alerting the islanders of the new recoupling.

Robin’s stomach flipped, heartbeats that could’ve been heard all the way to Manchester. “I… I’m not ready.” She said, looking at Gary with pleading eyes, feeling the loss of the opportunity stolen from them.

“Hey.” He cupped her chin, tilting her head up. “We’ll have the outside.”

“We’ll have the outside.” She repeated, building up the very little energy she had to go inside the dressing room, to get ready.

As the islanders gathered around the firepit, quietly taking seats, Robin was the last one to attend and join the group, her eyes puffy and red from her dissatisfaction.

“Here, I saved you a seat.” Gary patted the cushion next to his, Robin joining his side, along with the other two singles, Bobby and Lottie.

“Are you ok, babes?” the makeup artist, even though competing for the affection of the crane operator, did let go of her pride to make sure Robin was ok.

“I’m fine. just want this to be over.”

“I feel you.” She responded, rubbing the girl’s knee with reassurance for a moment.

“Hey.” Gary nudged her, his pained expression impossible to be concealed. “Do you want a cuddle?” without waiting for his ex-partner’s answer, he brought her closer to his chest, embracing her with his warmth, kissing the top of her head, the people around moved with how cute they looked together.

Bobby’s phone, again, brought more news.

“Get a load of this. The boys will save two girls, and the girls will save two boys. The rest of the islanders will be dumped from the island.

For the first time, since the guys met Rachel on the first day of Casa Amor, there was a genuine expression on her face, and it was fear.

“What?!” she exclaimed, bolting from her seat to balance herself on her heels. “What the fuck! That’s so unfair.”

“If there’s one thing that cannot come out of your mouth is that this is unfair, girl.” Hope jumped on the opportunity to put the twin back in her place, making sure her annoyed face was visible as the girl took a seat, folding her arms over her chest like the brat she was.

Lottie goes first, making sure Noah’s spot is guaranteed, shooting Hope a solidary look.

“Me next.” Robin put her phone on the front pocket of the jacket Gary lent her, standing up to face the three remaining boys. “So… this would be an easy decision for me, any day of the week. I definitely have reasons to not want to see the face of one of you, ever again.”

Lucas lowered his eyes to his shoes, embarrassed by his choice the night before.

“I do think this journey, this experience, should be to find someone special. To try and make it work with someone you think it’s a good fit. And I have found that person already, but I can’t be with him right now.” She sniffed, glancing at the crane operator as he winked at her, disguising his pained façade. “So… I have to make a choice. I want to couple up with this boy because even though he made a mistake on Casa Amor, and didn’t stay loyal to his partner, I still think he could find someone in here.”

Jakub squared up his shoulders, grinning victoriously, taking a step forward.

That was the most dreaded moment of the season, every pair of eyes around the firepit were on Robin. Her sister’s anxiety was visible as she chewed on her fingernails, legs crossed as she stood next to Lucas, tapping her foot with expectation. “Can’t believe this…”

“Shhh.”

“The boy I want to couple up with is… Lucas.”

A wave of chins dropping on the floor took the entire group, including Lucas himself. “Wait, what?!” he said, eyes wide as he stared, confused.

“Yeah, what?!” Jakub wasn’t happy at all.

“Oh, I’m sorry Jakub, but I don’t think I have to explain myself.”

She made sure every word was coming out loud and clear, enough to make some of the islanders chuckle with her response. As Lucas stepped onto the firepit platform, not looking back, he took a seat with Robin, smiling relieved.

“Don’t get cocky. I only saved you because Jakub might be even worse.”

“Right.”

Gary’s face couldn’t conceal his distress as much as he tried.

“Hey.” She nodded at his direction, flipping her hair behind her shoulders. “Are you up for sharing the daybed tonight?”

“Oh?”

“I mean… I’m down if you are.”

He nodded with a grin stamped on his lips, happily hovering Lucas, between them, to kiss her cheek. “Deal.”

The ceremony ended in not such a happy note, since Bobby saved Hope, and Gary Chelsea, there was no spot for Priya to stay. The goodbyes were upsetting as she packed her belongings, every single islander helping the way they could, leaving Rachel by herself on the corner of the dressing room, ignoring her existence as she took care of her own things by herself, huffing with anger, watching the others giving the real estate agent supportive words that she thought she deserved.

The doors opened so the islanders could see the cars that would take them away, one by one waving and saying their final words before taking the path to the SUV waiting, Elijah and Jakub taking the first and second cars, Priya walking towards the third one.

Finally, Rachel emerges from the villa, rolling down her suitcase, obnoxiously huffing on her way to the main entrance. “I’m not gonna miss any of you if I’m honest! I just wanted to find someone that I could have a connection with, and every single one of you judged me because of it.” she waved her finger in the air, pointing mostly to Lottie and Hope.

“Rachel.”

“What do you want?” Rachel twisted her lips, waiting for whatever her sister had to say, despite not being in the mood of hearing it, her brat-self showing more than never.

“Shut the fuck up, for once.” Gary draped an arm on her shoulder, taking her inside, the other islanders quietly following their lead.

The public watched as the ex-islander stood, alone, by the sidewalk of the path of stones, her eyes tearing up as she sniffed violently, waiting alone for the fourth car to show up, avoiding the looks the islanders must’ve been shooting at her.

But as the temptation of looking behind her wins, she turns to see no one in sight.

There were cheers and glasses clinking, the sound of a toast offered by Bobby to Robin’s name echoing as the islanders repeated after him, once again, happily choosing her side, luring a scream of frustration from her twin, on the outside.

Suffice to say, Rachel is by far, the most hated islander to ever step foot in the villa. Lucy and Cherry, from season 1, tweeted simultaneously “I’m not the worst anymore.” as soon as the episode aired. It trended for the remaining days of season 2.

Rachel never showed up to the Reunion, or the Finale Party.


End file.
